President Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order declaring that only the attorney general or the president, instead of federal regulators or bureaucrats, can speak for the U.S. when interpreting the meaning of laws carried out by the executive branch.
The order was among three executive actions carried out by Mr. Trump. He also signed an executive order expanding access to in vitro fertilization and a memorandum requiring federal agencies to report waste, fraud and abuse that’s uncovered and to detail programs that are eliminated.
Mr. Trump also said Tuesday that he will move forward April 2 with tariffs of roughly 25% on foreign cars and pharmaceuticals but did not specify which nations could be targeted.
Will Scharf, the White House staff secretary and one of the president’s attorneys, said the order that limits only the president and attorney general to interpret laws “reestablishes a long-standing norm” in the U.S. It comes as Mr. Trump’s critics fight his agenda in court and raise accusations that he’ll ignore judicial orders.
Other agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Communications Commission have the power to impose fines and regulations.
“The President and the Attorney General’s opinions on questions of law are controlling on all employees in the conduct of their official duties,” the order states.
The document asserts that “previous administrations have allowed so-called ‘independent regulatory agencies’ to operate with minimal Presidential supervision.”
“These regulatory agencies currently exercise substantial executive authority without sufficient accountability to the President, and through him, to the American people,” the order said. “Moreover, these regulatory agencies have been permitted to promulgate significant regulations without review by the President.”
Mr. Scharf described the memorandum on making the government more open as “imposing radical transparency requirements on government departments and agencies.”
On tariffs, the president said foreign automakers can avoid the levy by moving production to the U.S.
“When they come into the United States and they have their plant or factory here, there is not a tariff. So we want to give them a chance,” he said at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. “It’ll be in the neighborhood of 25% and higher and it will go very substantially higher over the course of a year, but we want to give them time to come in.”
Since returning to the White House, Mr. Trump has proposed a slew of trade measures. He has already announced plans to impose a 25% tariff beginning March 12 on steel and aluminum, which is also expected to impact the auto industry.
The president has also proposed a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico, which supply raw materials and parts. However, he paused those tariffs until March 4 as he negotiates with the countries over drugs and migrants. Earlier this month, Mr. Trump moved ahead with an additional 10% tariff on China.
Mr. Trump, who has previously called himself “the father of IVF” signed the order Tuesday that directs policy recommendations to protect IVF access and aggressively reduce out-of-pocket and health plan costs for such treatments.
“My Administration recognizes the importance of family formation, and as a Nation, our public policy must make it easier for loving and longing mothers and fathers to have children,” the order says.
It says that within 90 days, the assistant to the president for domestic policy, Vince Haley, will provide a list of policy recommendations on how to protect access and reduce the cost of IVF.
IVF can cost from $12,000 to $25,000 and is often not covered by health insurance companies, the White House said in a fact sheet.
More than 85,000 infants were born as a result of IVF in 2021, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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